48 – Advancing

"Checo, launch me up!" Elise shouted. "Just like we practiced yesterday!"

Checo knelt down while positioning his shield upwards. Elise ran, jumped, and as soon as she put her foot on the shield, Checo pushed her up. The female warrior soared high, then twisted her body. Her whirlwind attack cut down the monsters that started to fall.

Meanwhile, Gina pressed her hands to the ground. "Give me ten seconds, Checo!"

Checo protects Gina from the monsters' attacks. Using his club, that guy beats the legs of the monsters that come. It didn't defeat them right away, but it was enough to slow them down.

Elise fell on a big root, and Checo gave her an order. "Just attack their feet, Elise!"

"Looks like you really need to practice your landing, Elise," Raymund muttered.

The female warrior paid no heed to that and immediately got up, knocking down the incoming monsters with her sword.

However, Checo and Elise were quickly overwhelmed by the monsters. The two warriors drew closer to Gina as they continued to receive fists from their enemies.

Suddenly a rumble came, and the ground shook hard. The monsters lost their balance, then their feet sank into the cracks in the ground created by Gina's magic.

"Hold on to me!" After that, the mage gave an order.

Because their enemy was immobilized, Checo and Elise could hug Gina's body again. The mage then flew herself and her friends using the wind pressure from her palms.

"I can't keep this up for too long." The mage sounded like she was in pain. "So, prepare yourself from the impact."

Not long after, the three of them finally descended. Checo and Gina made a good landing, but Elise crashed hard again. She immediately got help from her two friends.

"We have to keep running towards the east!" Elise imitated her master's instructions. "Remember, we only need to poke the titan mandrake!"

They ran, occasionally jumping between the roots. Their balance wobbled a bit as the roots began to squirm.

The first victim was Checo. His leg was entangled by one of the roots, but Elise was able to slash that thing. When it was Elise's turn to be trapped, Gina freed her with a fireball.

And so on, the three of them cooperate with each other against those roots. Their progress was slowing down, but they were all still able to advance.

"Shit!!!" Gina cursed with all her might when she heard the footsteps bigger than the monsters they had fought earlier. "You said the monster we're going to face isn't too big, Elise! Why is that thing so humongous!?"

Yes, a root monster that was three times an adult's height was running towards them.

"Do not stop! Keep going!!!" Raymund shouted as Elise, and her three friends stopped.

"Argggghhhh!!!" Elise ran again at a quick pace, then she jumped and stuck her sword forward.

Elise's charge thrust hit the monster's knee, forcing it to stagger. Checo also made a similar move, but he used his shield to hit the monster's other leg.

The giant monster fell, and Gina didn't waste the opportunity. The mage dropped a large, sharp chunk of ice onto the enemy's back.

And then they continued running.

The three arrived at an area where trees were sparse. They could already see the titan mandrake's feet from a distance, but they were intercepted by monsters the same size as the first one they fought.

"Fuck you all!!!" Checo's voice sounded like a roar. His body color turned red, and suddenly the muscles in his body expanded.

"You can die if you use that technique, Checo!" Gina gave a warning.

However, Checo didn't care. With a speed that increased many times over, he charged forward while raising his weapon high.

One strike from the man was enough to crush the head of one of the monsters. Previously, he had to do it many times until it happened.

That man continued to advance and attack. This time he didn't just use his club. He also uses his shield to hit opponents. The monsters fought back, but their fists were all meaningless. Checo's body is like armor that repels all attacks.

Seeing many monsters escaping Checo, Elise did not stand still. The female warrior used her sword to eradicate the monsters. Gina also helps by casting various types of magic attacks.

Minutes passed, and Checo destroyed the last monster. His body color turned to normal, and his muscles shrank to their original size.

"Keep going, Elise! Don't you dare to stop!" Raymund shouted again.

However, Elise prefers to approach Checo. Together with Gina, the female warrior helped Checo stand up.

"Just leave me. You still have to go forward." Checo's voice sounded like gibberish. His body was covered in thick sweat, barely open his eyes. "I can't fight anymore. I just want to rest...Please."

"No, Checo!" Gina objected. "The three of us will get out of this place! I don't want to lose my comrades again!"

They were only ten feet away from the Titan Mandrake. However, they have to face another obstacle. The ground in front of them was covered with long, sharp little thorns.

Gina put on a bitter smile. " We're so close....…."

She stopped her speech as soon as she heard another rumbling from behind.

The three looked back and immediately saw another monster figure in the distance, shaped like an apple with a giant mouth, had thousands of fat tendrils at the bottom. The tendrils serve as legs for it to move forward.

"Oh, God…." Elise sounded like she was whimpering in pain. However, she removed Checo's hand from her neck, then pointed her sword at the rapidly approaching monster.

Gina tried to bring out the fireball in her hand. She intends to throw it at the titan mandrake. All they needed was a little touch to the giant monster.

However, what appeared above Gina's palm were only sparks that quickly disappeared.

"Shit!" Gina cursed out of frustration. "My mana is running out!"